Tigers topple UConn Huskies in historic victory, move up in rankings to No. 5 in nation

Terrance West ran for 161 yards and scored two touchdowns against UConn in the Tigers’ victory

UPDATE 9/4/13: The Tigers’ convincing win against the UConn Huskies caught the eyes of the national media as the team moved up in the most recent rankings. For the first time in program history, Towson is ranked No. 5 in the The Sports Network‘s national Football Championship Subdivision rankings

Towson was ranked No. 11 in the preseason poll and has been ranked in the Top 25 for the last 27 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 26, 2011.

8/30/13: With three minutes to play, the No. 11 Towson Tigers lined up to punt to the host UConn Huskies while clinging to a 26-18 lead. The Huskies had scored on their previous possession and were just one touchdown and a two-point conversion from tying the game.

The Huskies’ Brian Lemelle fielded Towson punter Drew Evangelista’s 41-yard kick, but was unable to secure the ball before it squirted loose and was picked up by the Tigers’ Tanner Vallely. Just six plays later, Towson running back Terrance West pushed through would-be tacklers for his second touchdown of the quarter, tallying the decisive score in a 33-18 upset victory for the Tigers.

“This is important to us because we have played well against FBS teams in the past, but we haven’t been able to get a victory,” said Ambrose. “We do have team goals, and in order to reach those goals, we had to win tonight. It doesn’t matter who we played. We were committed to winning this game.”

The win marked the first victory in Towson football history against an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision program. The 15-point margin was the third largest for a Football Championship Subdivision program against a member of a conference with an automatic qualifier to the Bowl Championship Series since 2000.

West, the Colonial Athletic Association’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year, carried the ball a career-high 36 times for 161 yards to go along with his two touchdowns. Fellow running back Sterlin Phifer also scored two touchdowns, one rushing and another receiving. Phifer totaled 65 all-purpose yards in the game.

The Tigers will now travel to Worcester, Mass. to play Holy Cross on Sept. 7 before returning to Johnny Unitas Stadium for the home-opener against Delaware State on Sept. 14.

To celebrate the Tigers’ historic victory against UConn, Towson Athletics is offering a special ticket package for the game against Delaware State. A family 4-pack of tickets will be available for only $33.18.